Graduate School Newsblog

Day: September 17, 2026

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Support

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The NSF GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees. This fellowship includes three years of financial support over a five-year fellowship period. Deadlines vary by discipline, beginning on October 19th.

The Graduate School will be hosting interactive workshops for prospective applicants and faculty reference letter writers. All sessions are presented by Lea Marlor, Graduate Academic Coordinator.

  • NSF GRFP Workshop 1: Overview and Tips

    • When: Wednesday, Sept. 23 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

    • Details: Overview of fellowship components, eligibility, and strategies for a competitive application.

    • Registration: Register for Workshop 1

  • NSF GRFP Workshop 2: Crafting Your Statements (Content and Organization)

    • When: Monday, Sept. 28 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    • Details: Deep dive into structure, content, and organization for Personal and Research Statements.

    • Registration: Register for Workshop 2

  • NSF GRFP Reference Letter Writer’s Workshop

In addition, the Graduate School will be offering writing support and drop-in office hours in the Library’s exhibit space on the first floor. Here you can get direct feedback and one-on-one writing support for your application materials.

  • Tuesday Schedule: 9/22 (2–3:30 p.m.), 9/29 (3–4:30 p.m.), 10/6 (10–11:30 a.m.), and 10/13 (1–2:30 p.m.)
  • Friday Schedule: 9/18 through 10/16 (9:30–11 a.m.), excluding 10/2.

See the NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program website for more details. Questions? Contact Lea Marlor, NSF GRFP Support Coordinator, at gradschool@mtu.edu.

Additional Information:

 

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Finishing Fellowship Award – Fall 2026 – Caleb Rother

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Caleb Rother, PhD in Computer Science, 2026

Computers have been a part of my life for nearly as long as I can remember. I hold memories of old flash games as a child, making music with software with a friend, and even now most of my close friends live a long distance away from me, forcing me to use computers for communication. Naturally, around 15, I decided to ask myself, “How do these things work, anyways?” After some time learning to program and whether I liked it, I decided to pursue CS as a major in college at my hometown.

After I got my bachelor’s degree, I had decided that teaching college would be a good career thanks to some tutoring work I had done in my undergrad. I needed a Ph. D. accordingly. When I began applying to schools in my area, Dr. Chen reached out to me and offered me a position in the SnP lab. I ended up taking the offer and have had a fantastic graduate career learning how to conduct research and teach here.

My dissertation is focused on cybersecurity education and how to make it more effective for students, particularly those with little computing background. As hacking and security breaches become more common, I find that it’s critical to teach everyone at least a little about cybersecurity. My goal is to make these things accessible to as many people as possible, and I hope to get even better at it as I wrap up my time here at Tech!

I’d like to thank the graduate school, Dr. Chen, and my fantastic lab mates, Josh and Amir, who have helped me in my time here at tech. I’m looking forward to the completion of my degree, and to continued educational and technical research in the future!

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